Pay-Me Oliver makes the best jollof rice in the world and you did nothing to stop him. This is no joke. Do a search on jollof rice and see who comes top. The fat-tongued school cook Oliver has built an empire with his celebrity status, he earns a small fortune by regurgitating recipe books. He comes out top of the list of results. So #jollofgate is it a conspiracy?
White male celebrities are powerful because they normally create lots of PR gravity, they suck up all the media attention and can change the landscape. *There have been many examples of re-branding of a culture, product and ideas in the history of the world. This is nothing but another version deliberately or by mistake you make up your own mind. If we use the chef's real name more gravity is created and over time we will find that Pay-me Oliver becomes the inventor of jollof rice and not the criminal. Lets stop taking about this chef. Let us acknowledge that the people of jollof country need to now own and manufacture cooking campaigns that makes money for Africans not naked chefs or other overpaid celebrity cooks. Jollof people need to create their own gravity.
Read Why I Hate I'm A Celebrity OK What I Dislike About
World Jollof Rice Day 2016
I started thinking about World Jollof Rice Day August 22 a while ago after attending the food tech week conference in London 2015. I was part a panel for Discovering African Cuisine in the Digital World. Most recently I brain stormed the idea for creating a campaign and said to myself let me test it on World Jollof Rice Day 2016. The campaign from a mind map then turned into a google document with objectives; the main one to grow the African food market using the most popular dish. Also it was an aim to help create a long term revenue stream for jollof entrepreneurs. I then set about planning and networking so that African food brands owners can get ahead of the curve and test the market too. Your marketing and business plan can be used as evidence to how serious you are and for financial funding and sponsorship. So this campaign has been born. Let us see if it has legs and creates gravity of it's own. It may take a life time to create huge gravity. Are you dedicated, focused and passionate enough for the cause?
Dr Pamela Greene Life Time Of Work
Read Dr Pamela Greene, Scientist, Nutritionist, Home Economist. A life time of work
Where You Spend Your Money Matters
It is hoped that World Jollof Rice Day could be a way to tell the West African story, get Africans to cook for themselves on this day African food, eat with family and friends also share jollof conversation all day long. Jollof rice matters. Now ask yourself what did you do to ‪‎promote‬ ‪Africa‬ this past week, month and year? Use this time now to check out an African recipe online or buy a cook book and cook the food for yourself. Save money, resist spending it with people and organisations that do not care about you, your family or community. Create some employment in the community. African, Caribbean and African-American food/drinks/events related businesses, suppliers and supperclubs equals 100% investment return on your future. The money never flows back from the corporations †KFCr*p, Mcshi&ty and Pizzahurt. These fat cat executives apart from charitable donations make a 0% return on our lives. They will never trade with you and your community fairly. Understand Coca Killa the sugar drink really is that. Every pound we put on in weight is a dollar in their pocket.
Read Jollof Rice Matters
Let's stand on the shoulders of those before. Start planning for next year. Pay-Me Oliver does not need any more of your money or more fame. Please contact leslie@westafricacooks.com for more on marketing this day. Finally Attend, support with your money and then give feedback to African and Caribbean foodies where you can.
Let's cook, eat and share jollof all day.
Leslie
West Africa Cooks
Editor
* Australia was a black country totally, before the Europeans exported their worse criminals there on mass. When you think coffee does Italian come to mind or Ethiopian and Kenyan? Then there is Africa. Africa has been branded corrupt, poor and war torn.
†KFCr*p, Mcshi&ty, Pizzahurt and Coca Killa (fat cats) are powerful experts in marketing. They sponsor high profile events in sports, they are all over television and have political weight, so we associate them with health and fitness. Cigarette brands once did that.